Loyalty of Man
by Childhood Creations
Summary: Rex's life at the X-8 with Roxie and his thoughts on the matter of life and how he got to where he is now.


Hello all. This is a bit of a drabble. It's not really that great in any meaning of the word, but it's just my mind's insanity going to work and having one Hell of a time with it. It's taken a bit of time due to the busy schedule I run, but eh.  
>Hopefully it's not a ton of crap, hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D<p>

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><p><em><span>Man's Loyalty<span>_

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><p>This entire spiel is not a question of man's best friend's loyalty, but a question of man's loyalty to his best friend.<p>

Rex had his ears dropped and his muzzle rested on his feet as he quietly watched his and Roxie's pups circle the X-8, he was well over 210 years of age at this point.  
>He'd seen everything now, everything this world had to offer for a dog like him.<p>

He wasn't even a _dog_. He was a cyberhound. Not a true beast anymore.

It wasn't Rex's fault that he was the way he was, Rex had no regrets though. He'd lived a very _long_ and happy life.

Roxie pranced with a pup in tow of her jaw, she'd just bathed the pup who seemed less pleased with what he'd just been forced through. She dropped the pup and he scampered off to his brothers and sisters, happily playing with them all. The dread of bathing seemed completely absent now to the pup. Roxie surprised their runt pup as she had picked up the now squealing babe into her jaw and set a happy pace toward the 'cleaning room' where they all bathed.

Rex could have smiled if he expressed human emotions in that manner. He and his kin all had their own form of expressions and they had simply _learned_ and understood the humans.

He stood up, shaking a little to get any dust that might have taken refuge on his back off of him. The aging dog slowly walked around to the edge of the X-8 and watched the Mojave Wastes, he probably knew each and every inch of the land by each of his senses by themselves now.  
>This time of day, raiders would straggle closely to the border of what Rex deemed appropriate for the raiders to get to his pups and the X-8.<p>

Rex noticed a small form appear in the horizon, he looked back to his pups and then to the form that was coming closer into view. Rex took an instantly defensive stance and began to growl quietly and deep within his throat. He stalked farther from the X-8 and toward figure in the distance, he'd caught sight of a second one following far behind.

The moment that the wind stopped kicking dust around and settled, he could smell the approaching figures better.  
>Everything smelled of radioactive trash and rust in this post-apocalyptic Hell they lived in, as well as blood <em>(which, in that regard, depended mostly on the area you were in though)<em>. Rex had developed unique ways to determine who smelled mostly of what and "who-was-who" that smelled of rust and blood like the next guy. He sniffed the air lightly, he smelled not rust, nor blood, not even the radioactivity that marked every living species in the Mojave. He smelled grass, flowers and tree- granted there was still a mix of the rust, but Rex did smell the sweet scent of the past.

_Mother._

Rex's tongue fell from his mouth and he dropped all defenses as he let himself fly toward her and her follower.  
>A woman that was all too familiar came into view, her hair was just as he remembered- Spikey. <em>She never wore any cursed hats.<em>

Two short and loud barks rang across the Wasteland distance from Rex to his mama, the Courier. He couldn't quite see her face, but he knew she was smiling. She ran toward him and the white haired man was following slowly behind, not bothering to run. _Lazy._

"Rexie!" he heard her smooth voice and it was all he needed to confirm it was, for sure, her.  
>She held her arms out, scars all over her arms and body from the violence and pain of the Mojave Wastes had marred her with. He leaped into her welcoming arms, making them hit the ground while he kissed her cheeks and nose. Over the long years they had spent together, she'd made it clear, it's not cool to kiss her mouth.<p>

"Hey, boy. I figured you would all still be here." she giggled and pushed him off of her so she could stand up, he pranced around her and trying to get her to follow him faster to the X-8.  
>She'd yet to meet his pups, see where he'd settled, where he made his final life, his final home. He wasn't going to leave this life behind, he wouldn't leave his pups or Roxie. Rex had seen enough, been through enough and knows more than he could ever have hoped to in one life.<p>

He began to nudge her toward his pups, Roxie and two of the cyberdogs had stepped out, Roxie tilted her head curiously, she'd likely not remembered his mother.  
>Happily he pranced to his mate and pups, the pups cheerful as they continued to play. The Courier followed him closely with her human partner following close behind her. The fact Boone wasn't there both pleased and saddened Rex.<p>

_That man loves his hat._

Boone had saved Rex more then once, but it still didn't change the fact the man wore that hat _everywhere_.  
>Rex had even made game of it to take the hat now and again, running around with it in his mouth until Boone pointed a modified sniper rifle in Rex's face making the cyberhound drop the cursed head cover in an instant.<p>

It'd been a long time since Rex had actually been able to find joy in seeing any human, or even anything that was once _was_ a human. Just thinking of the Courier made his heart swell with joy.  
>She and the King were the light in his dark life before he encountered his love, Roxie.<p>

He'd always been betrayed. All humans that ever _'loved'_ him had left. _All but one._

The Courier had let Rex choose his path, and Rex knew he'd want his pups to be safe. It was fight until a painful death in the Wastes, or die eventually protecting what meant most to him-

_his pups and Roxie._

Granted, the Courier meant much to him, but he knew she was more then capable of taking care of herself. Even a bullet to the brain and a shallow grave, she didn't roll over and die for _anyone._

Rex hadn't noticed as he was deep in his thought that his mama had slapped hulking slabs of gecko steaks on the ground for he and his family to enjoy. Roxie licked the Courier and nibbled up a small bit for herself, leaving most to the pups who were in no capability going to be able to finish all of the meat before them.  
>Roxie worried Rex, she ate little now that they had pups; she was concerned they wouldn't get enough. Which in any other situation would be understandable in the accursed Wastes they lived in. The Courier noticed how little a bit Roxie had taken and quickly pulled out two more gecko steaks giving one of them for Roxie to eat alone. Rex nudged it toward Roxie, closer and closer to her till it was stopped by her paws, she took a long minute before her need for survival told her to accept the meat.<p>

"I'm sorry I didn't come last month." he heard the Courier mumble quietly, she'd been busy and Rex knew this well from the years they'd been together and known one-another. She didn't need to apologize for being busy keeping the Wastes safe so his pups can have a good _(well, as good enough)_ life in this Hell on Earth that they called 'Home'.

In response, Rex nuzzled her arm and jammed himself under her arm so she'd have to scratch his belly. He earned just the reaction he was aiming for as she giggled softly and proceeded to scratch his left side to the tempo of his heartbeat.

Roxie licked at her chops, getting every bit of flavor off her jaws from the meal he could tell she'd much needed and fully enjoyed.

The pups were still tearing at the tough gecko steaks before themselves, their runt kicking his hind legs as he tried to get over the others and onto part of the steak that was unoccupied. The Courier had stopped scratching at Rex's side to pick up the pup, placing the babe gently onto a spot where the meat was weaker and vacant of the others.

_"This life"_ Rex thought, _"is the life I'd wished I'd always lived."_

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><p>Well then. How was <em>that<em> my dearest children?

I do hope you enjoyed. Review if you would _please_.

I am not immune to mistakes, so tell me of them. :P

_Thank you for reading. _

**I do _not_ own any part of Fallout, just stocks for the company that made it. . **


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